Lifter apparatus for spinning machines



Dec. 22, 1936.

E. KINSELLA Er AL LIFTER APPARATUS FOR SPINNING MACHINES Filed Aug. 20, 1935 I EDWARD K\NSELLA CHARLES w. @931 Patented Dec. 22, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIFTER APPARATUS FOR SPINNING MACHINES Delaware Application August 20, 1935, Serial-No. 36,954 In Great Britain September 17, 1934 7 Claims.

This invention relates to the lifter apparatus of spinning machines such as are used for the twisting or doubling of yarn, such as ring-spinning, fiyer-spinning and cap-spinning machines.

In machines of the above type, the spindles are generally arranged substantially vertically and the traversing of the yarn being spun on the bobbins or other yarn packages is effected by the vertical movements of a lifter rail which carries either the bobbins on which the yarn is being wound or guide means for conducting such yarn to the bobbins. The vertical movements of the lifter rail are derived from the movements of a horizontally reciprocated traverse rod, the horizontal movements of the traverse rod being transmitted to the lifter rail by means of vertical lifter rods and chains attached to the lower ends of the. lifter rods and to the traverse rod. The chains pass over flanged wheels or sprockets so 90 as to transform the horizontal movements of and induces irregularity in the winding of the yarn. A similar trouble due to local wear occurs also in the bore of the rollers and on the pins on which they rotate.

Furthermore, fluff from the yarns being spun becomes clogged in the, bore of the rollers and on the pins which carry the rollers, impeding the action of the machine and interfering with the adjustment of the rollers. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mounting for the traverse rod which will be free from the above mentioned disadvantages.

According to the present invention, the horizontal traverse rod of a spinning machine is carried by the. curved surfaces of a plurality of quadrants pivotally mounted about their centres.

It will be understood that the term quadrant is. not limited. to a member having a curved surface extending over 90; generally an arc of much less than 90 sufiices.

51) While the invention is applicable generally to twisting or doubling machines in which traversing movements are derivedfrom the horizontal movements of a traverse rod, it is particularly applicable, to cap-spinning machines, in which 55 the lifter rail carries the bobbins, the tubes on which they are mounted, and the driving whirls attached to such tubes.

The traverse rod or rods may be actuated by means of suitable cams, links and levers, e. g. by the arrangement described in our U. S. applica- 6 tion S. No. 36,955 filed August 20, 1935 (corresponding to British application No. 26639/ 34 filed 17th September 1934), and the weight of the lifter rail and associated parts my be suitably balanced, either by weights or, as described in 10 our U. S. application S. No. 36,952 filed August 20, 1935 (corresponding to British application No. 26636/34 filed 17th September 1934), by means of compressed air cylinders exerting a substantially constant pressure on one end of the traverse 5 rod or rods.

By way of example forms of traverse rod mounting according to the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which 2 Fig. 1 is the front elevation of a machine to which the mechanism according to the invention is applied.

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged detailed views of the mechanism employed in Fig. 1. 2

Figs. 4 and 5 show a modification of the mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the pivot of the quadrants employed according to the present invention and Fig. 7 shows a further modification of the mechanism according to the present invention.

The machine shown in Fig. 1 is a cap-spinning machine, and comprises a spindle rail I on which are mounted a number of stationary spindles 2 35 which may be secured to the spindle rail by means of a collet mounting 3, as described in our U. S. application S. No. 36,953 filed August 20, 1935 (corresponding to British application No. 26635/34 filed 17th September 1934). The caps 40 5 of the machine are carried at the upper ends of the spindles 2 which pass through holes in a lifter rail 6 disposed between the spindle rail I and the caps 5. Surrounding each of the spindles 2 is a driving whirl l driven by a band 8 by 45 means of which the bobbin [0 to receive the yarn is rotated.

In connection with the lifter rail 6, lifter rods l l are provided, connected at their upper ends to the lower side of the lifter rail 6 and passing through the spindle rail I. Each lifter rail is operated by a double traverse rod l3 which is of the kind described in our U. S. application S. No. 36,956 filed August 20, 1935 (corresponding to British application No. 26637/34 filed 17th September 1934). Lifting chains I4 are connected to the lower ends I5 of the lifter rods II and at their upper ends to the double traverse rod I3 passing over sprockets I I mounted between the two traverse rods I3, the arrangement of double traverse rods, the form of the lifter rods and the connection of the lifting chain thereto being as described in our U. S. application S. No. 36,- 956 (corresponding to British application No. 26637/34). The traverse rods I3 are mounted upon rocking quadrants I8 supported on rubber pivots I9 and comiected to the traverse rods I3 by means of steel tapes 2!], as is more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Each of the quadrants I8 is carried by two rods 2I fitting into bosses 22 underneath the quadrants, the lower ends of the two rods fitting into bosses 23 in the pivot member 24. Inside the pivot member 24 is a stub shaft 25 carried on a bracket 26 depending from a rail 21 running the whole length of the machine and forming a guide for the lower ends of the lifter rods II. The space between the stub shaft 25 and the pivot member 24 is firmly packed with a thick sleeve of compressed rubber I9, as is shown in Fig. 6 so that the quadrants I8 can pivot about the shafts 25 without any sliding motion taking place, the elasticity of the rubber allowing sufiicient play for this purpose. The steel tapes 20 are attached to the quadrants I8 at the points 29, two of such tapes being secured to the right-hand side of the quadrants I8 (as viewed in Fig. 2) and one to the left-hand side (see Fig. 3). The other ends of the tapes are secured to coupling members each in the form of two clamping pieces 30, which are clamped one over and one under the double traverse rods I 3 by means of nuts and bolts. The ends of the tapes 2!] are secured to members 3| which extend between the clamping member 30 and are attached thereto by means of nuts 32. The tapes pass over the upper surfaces 33 of the quadrants I8, these surfaces being recessed at 34 to receive the traverse rods I3 and to position the quadrants laterally with reference to the traverse rods (see Fig. 3). The traverse rods I3 are positioned by means of rollers mounted on spindles 35 carried upon a bracket 36 secure at 31 to the spindle rail I, the rollers 35 being disposed between the traverse rods I3.

A modification of the quadrant arrangement is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 in which the quadrants -I8 are carried on arms 48 which may be cast integral with the pivot members at the lower ends thereof. In this modification only a single traverse rod 4| is employed and is attached to the quadrant by means of two steel tapes 20 secured to members 42 passing through brackets 43 on the traverse rod 4| and securely positioned by means of lock-nuts 44. In this modification the positioning of the traverse rod is effected by means of rollers 45 lying on each side of the traverse rod and carried, as in Figs. 2 and 3, by brackets 56 secured to the spindle rail I at 31. Flanges 48 are provided outside the quadrants I8 in order to position the quadrants relatively to the traverse rod 4I'.

By the use of quadrants I8 having a relatively large diameter, rolling contact between the curved surfaces 34 of the quadrants I8 and the traverse rod I3 is rendered more certain so that wear is reduced. At the same time pivots 24 of the quadrants are disposed well below the level of the spindles so that fluff and the diificulties arising therefrom are less troublesome.

By employing a plurality of steel tapes 20 as described above, said tapes being so mounted as to pull the quadrants I8 in both directions, positive actuation of the quadrants is obtained. In an alternative arrangement shown in Fig. 7 the quadrants I8 may be rocked positively in one direction only, one tape 29 only being employed while the return of the quadrants in the other direction is effected by applying a continual force in that direction to the quadrants. This continual force is applied by pretorsioning the rubber sleeve I9 in the required direction so that the elasticity of the rubber sleeve rocks the quadrants in the other direction.

The longitudinal to and fro movements of the traverse rods or rod I3 or 4! are effected by means of a lever 4'? of the kind described in our U. S. application S. No. 36,955 (corresponding to British application No. 26639/34). As shown at the right-hand side of Fig. 1, the upper end of the lever 47 is connected to the ends of the traverse rods I3, and slides in a horizontal cross-head 48. The lower end of the lever slidably engages a shoe 49, pivoted at 59. A follower roller 5I on the middle of the lever 41 is engaged by a cam 52, from which the movements of the traverse rods I3 are derived. The position of the pivot point 50 is adjustable, a Vernier scale 53, as described in our U. S. application S. No. 36,955 (corresponding to British application No. 26639 /34) being provided to read the position.

As the cam 52 rotates, the lever 41 is oscillated, and the traverse rods I3 are moved to and fro, being supported by the rocking quadrants I8. The lifting chains I4 are thereby alternately pulled and released, and, acting through the lifter rods II, raise and lower the lifter rail 6 to effect a traversing motion of the bobbins I0.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. In a spinning machine comprising a horizontal and longitudinally moving traverse rod for effecting a traversing motion, a mounting for said traverse rod comprising a plurality of quadrants pivotally mounted to rock about their cen tres, and having their arcuate surfaces uppermost to carry said traverse rod upon said arcuate surfaces.

2. In a spinning machine comprising a hori-'- zontal and longitudinally moving traverse rod for efiecting a traversing motion, a mounting for said traverse rod comprising a plurality of quadrants pivotally mounted to rock about their cen tres, and having their arcuate surfaces uppermost to carry said traverse rod, and in connection with each of said quadrants metal tapes each secured at one end to said quadrant and at the other end to said traverse rod.

3. In a spinning machine comprising a horizontal and longitudinally moving traverse rod for effecting a traversing motion, a mounting for said traverse rod comprising a plurality of quadrants pivotally mounted to rock about their centres, and having their arcuate surfaces uppermost to carry said traverse rod, and in connection .7

tres, and having their arcuate surfaces uppermost to carry said traverse rod, at least one tape in connection with each of said quadrants, said tape being secured at one end to said quadrant and at the other end to said rod so as to rock said quadrant in one direction on motion of said traverse rod, and means for applying a continual force to each of said quadrants so as to rock in the other direction.

5. In a spinning machine comprising a horizontal and longitudinally moving traverse rod for eiiecting a traversing motion, a mounting for said traverse rod comprising a plurality of quadrants having their arcuate surfaces uppermost to bear against said traverse rod, a stub shaft at the centre of each of said quadrants, a pivot member surrounding said stub shaft, said pivot member and stub shaft being connected, one to the frame of the machine and the other to the quadrant, and a rubber packing between said stub shaft and said pivot member so as to form an elastic pivot for the quadrant at the centre thereof.

6. In a spinning machine comprising a. pair of parallel horizontal and longitudinally moving traverse rods for efiecting a traversing motion, a mounting for said traverse rods comprising a plurality of quadrants pivotally mounted to rock about their centres, and each having a pair of arcuate surfaces facing upwards to carry said traverse rods upon said arcuate surfaces.

'7. A cap-spinning machine comprising a lifter rail, bobbin tubes and whirls mounted on said lifter rail, a horizontal and longitudinally moving traverse rod, connecting means between said traverse rod and said lifter rail adapted to communicate the horizontal movements of said traverse red as vertical movements of said lifter rail, and a plurality of quadrants pivotally mounted to rock about their centres, and having their arcuate surfaces uppermost to carry said traverse rod upon said arcuate surfaces.

EDWARD IHNSELLA. CHARLES WESLEY ADDY. 

